Hairpin



Nov. 7, 1950 Filed May 22, 1947 M. M. NEWMAN 2,529,224

HAIRPIN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

HIS ATTORNEY Nov. 7, 1950 M. M. NEWMAN 2,529,224

HAIRPIN Filed May 22. 194' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IQIVENTOR.

HIS ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to hair pins and more particularly to the typecommonly referred to as bobby pins.

Such hair pins are widely used in connection with hair curlers whichsupport a hair pin while enabling a curl of hair to be formed adjacentthe supported pin and thereafter producing an engagement between the pinand the formed curl. The hair pin of the instant invention is welladaptetd for such curler use as well as for the general use of pinninghair tresses.

It is an object of this invention to provide such a hair pin which notonly engages a curl or tress of hair by the resilient nature of its legsor shanks as is conventional but provides an additional barrier at theend of the curl or tress of hair. In this way, the clamped hair cannotescape from the pin and, as is ver important in hair setting operations,the pin is less apt to shift around in the hair from a pre-set position.It is a further object to provide such a pin which does not interferewith the proper shape of the pinned c-url or tress in that the barrieris disposed endwise of the hair engaging portion of the pin so that itmerely more or less encloses the pinned hair and does not otherwisetouch it.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the followingdescription, it being understood that the above general statements ofthe objects of my invention are intended to describe and not limit it inany manner.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a side View illustrating the action of the improved hair pin,a particular use thereof being shown in connection with a hair curler ofthe type shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,321,931.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the hair taken on the line 22 ofFig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a topview thereof.

Fig. 3a is a reduced, perspective view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a side view in elevation of a modified embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the embodiment of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 illustrates the enclosing action of the pin on a formed curl, thepin being a second modified embodiment.

Fig. '7 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 6 and takenon the line 'l7 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the second modified embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a side View in elevation of a third modified embodiment.

Fig, 10 is a top view of the third modified embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines llll of Fig. 9.

Referring to Figs. 1-3, the hair pin I5 comprises the flattened upperand lower legs or shanks I6 and I! which are superimposed and connectedpin at the closed end l8. The hair pin is fabricated from resilientmetal or plastic and the shanks are normally urged into substantiallyplanar contact with each other as is characteristic of such hair pins orbobby pins. In Fig. 1, the hair pin is illustrated as being used in ahair curler the operation of which is described in the above patentalthough any similar type of hair curler may be used.

Disposed endwise of upper shank I6 is a downwardly formed bend orprojection l9, which is integral therewith. As illustrated in Fig. 2,projection l9 normally descends below the shank I! but when the shanksare separated, a illustrated in Fig. l, the projection is raised so asnot to interfere with the normal operation of the hair pin. In order topermit the normal descent of the projection as above described, theprojection is split centrally so as to form an opening therein adaptedto accommodate the lower shank l1. It is, in fact, possible to form thesplit projection from a normal portion of shank [6 by striking it with adie to bend it downwardly while simultaneously splitting the shank toform the slot opening, It will also be understood that the provision ofthe opening is not essential to the improved operation of the hair pinbut the clamping action thereof is unimpaired. The opening 20 does notpositively engage the projection so that it permits the free, normaldescent of the projection and free ascent thereof against the inherentspring action of the shanks.

The operation of the hair pin insofar as the improvement is concernedwill be essentially the same used alone or in combination with a curler.When the shanks are separated, hair ma be introduced therebetween, andwhen the shanks are allowed to return to their normal position, the

projection will bar the escape of the clamped hair from the so-calledopen end of the pin. Thus, the hair will be locked in a box-likeenclosure as illustrated in the full lines of Fig. 1, the box beinformed by the two clamping shanks l6 and [7, the closed end l8 and theprojection I9. Accord ingly, the hair Will be securely engaged and anytendency for the pin to shift in the hair will be minimized.

In Figs. 4 and 5, the action is identical but the lower shank 25 isshorter than the projection bearing shank 26 so as to terminate beforethe projection. Accordingly, no slot or opening is necessary in theprojection.

In Figs. 6, '7 and 8, the projection is unslotted and the lower shank 30is formed with an opening 3! to receive the projection 32 of the uppershank 33. The box-like enclosure for the hair is again illustrated inFig. 6. I

In Figs. 9, 10 and 11, an embodiment is illustrated which avoids slotsor openings but wherein the shanks are substantially of the same lengthnevertheless. The lower shank 35 is continuous as in a conventionalbobby pin. The upper shank 36 is superimposed as is usual over the shank35 until the projection portion 31 is reached. At that point, the uppershank 36 is bent outwardly and downwardly so that it descends laterallyof shank 35 and below its level as illustrated in Fig. 9. Shank 36 isthen bent upwardly and inwardly so as to return to its state ofsuperimposition in respect to shank 35. Thus, shank 36 is formed with alateral downward projection 31 which descends as required and may beformed simply from the continuous shank 36.

While there has been described what at present is considered preferredembodiments of the invention, it will be evident that many changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from its spirit. Itis therefore aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes andmodifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A hair pin of resilient material having connected and superimposedupper and lower substantially straight shanks normally urged toward eachother so as to be in normal contact with each other, a projectiondisposed endwise of one of said shanks whereby said projection normallydescends below the level of said other shank, said projection beingsplit centrally so 'as to receive said other shank in the split centerthereof whereby said shanks may meet each other while the splitprojection descends below said other shank.

2. A hair pin of resilient material having connected and superimposedupper and lower substantially straight shanks normally unged towardseach other so as to have a normally substantially contactingrelationship, and a projection member disposed endwise of one of saidshanks, said projection member having at least 'a portion thereofextending laterally of said other shank so that it may descend belowsaid other fshank'while both shanks are in said normally substantiallycontacting relationship.

3. A hair pin of resilient material having connected upper and lowersubstantially straight shanks normally. urged toward each other so as totow be in normal contact with each other, and a projection member formedon the outer end of said upper shank, said. projection member beingformed by a pair of integral and divided arms on said upper shank, saidarms being rejoined at the extreme outerend of the upper shank, each ofsaid arms at the division area thereof beingbent downward insubstantially V-shaped form, said lower shank being receivable into thedivision area 'of said arms and being normally urged therein through theinherent resiliency of the material, whereby the V-shaped portions ofthe divided arms straddle and are normally below the level of said lowershank.

4. A hair pin of resilient material having connected andsuperimposedupper and lower sub: stantially straight shanks normally urged intosubstantially planar contact with each other, and

a projection disposed endwise of one of said shanks whereby said-projection normally descends below the level of said other shank, andsaid projection being" freely movable above the level of said othershank against the normal tendency of the shanks to contact one another.

5. A hair pin of resilient material having upper and lower superimposedshanks connected to each other at one end and normally urged intosubstantially planar contact with each other by the inherent resiliencyof the material, and a projection disposed endwise of one of said shanksand extending toward the other shank whereby said projection serves as abarrier at the open end of the pin when the shanks are separated anddescends below the level of the other shank when the shanks are in theirnormal relationship, said other shank being substantially straight, saidprojection being freely movable below and above the levelof the othershank, such movement above the level of the other shank being againstthe normal tendency of the shanks to contact one another.

6. A hair pin of resilient material having upper and lower superimposedshanks connected to each other at one end and normally urged intosubstantially planar contact with each other by the inherent resiliencyof the material, one of said shanks being bent downwardly adjacent itsfree end and the other shank being substantially straight whereby theseparation of said shanks produces a box-like enclosure formed by theconnected end of the pin, theshanks and the downwardly bent shankportion, said boxlike enclosure being adapted to maintain a lock of hairtherein, and said downwardly bent shank portion being normally movableinwardly by the inherent resiliency of the material to a position whereit is substantially entirely below the level of the other shank, saiddownwardly bent shank portion being further freely movable outwardlyfrom its inward position against the normal action of the resilientshanks.

7. A hair pin of resilient material having connected and superimposedupper and lower shanks normally urged into substantially planar contactwith each other, a projection disposed endwise of one of said shankswhereby said projection normally descends below the level of said othershank, said other shank being straight and formed so as to permit freedescent of said projection as well as free ascent thereof against thenormal tendency of the shanks to approach one another.

MAX M. NEWMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 893,025 Sinclair July 14, 1908910,715 Needs Jan. 26, 1909 1,621,924 Davis Mar. 22, 1927 1,861,109Campbell May 31, 1932 1,900,970 Alimena Mar. 14, 1933 2,068,195 PolakJan. 19, 1937 2,070,939 Whitney Feb. 16. 1937 2,106,417 Veitch Jan. 25,1938 2,164,940 Polak July 4, 1939 2,396,389 Reynolds Mar. 12, 1946FOREIGN PATENTS Number 7 Country Date 7 472,726 Great Britain Sept. 29,1937

